Only God Can Judge Me

The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur

By: Jeff Pearlman

Narrated by: James Shippy

“Jeff Pearlman breaks down Tupac’s life like a veteran sportswriter examining a dynasty. This detailed look at his life is the work of a writer who understands the ego of greatness.”—Chuck D

“Pearlman delivers rich, engrossing, and fascinating new details about Shakur’s life and legacy—not just once or twice—but throughout each lively page...This is the type of needed journalism, reporting, and biography that finally and deservedly provides the definitive historic account on Shakur.”—Jonathan Abrams, author of The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop

Scrutinized in life, mythologized in death, Tupac Shakur remains a subject of immense cultural significance and speculation nearly thirty years after his murder. Despite a multitude of books, documentaries, and even a feature film, much about Tupac’s story remains shrouded and misunderstood. Like many icons who died tragically young, Tupac the man has long been obscured—his edges sanded down, his complexity numbed—by the competing agendas that surround his legacy.

In Only God Can Judge Me, accomplished biographer and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman tackles his most nuanced subject, telling the definitive story of Tupac Shakur in unprecedented depth. In this authoritative look at Tupac’s life, Pearlman skillfully recreates West Coast hip hop in all its glory, going inside Death Row Records and on the sets of movies like Juice and Poetic Justice to offer the most clear-eyed rendering to date of the man who still casts a shadow over modern hip hop. But more than just a biography of a complicated figure, Only God Can Judge Me also captures the time and place in which Tupac rose, a singular moment in music history when West Coast hip hop became a phenomenon and transformed popular music.

Featuring nearly seven hundred original interviews and never-before-published details from every corner of Tupac’s life, the result offers a truly singular portrait of one of modern pop culture’s most towering figures. Guided by the voices of those who knew and lived life alongside him, Only God Can Judge Me captures the layers of a man who, even thirty years after his death, remains as elusive as ever.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Great book!!

Learning about Tupac's very rough childhood and home life was very eye opening and informative about who he truly was as a person. Very interesting that he chose to portray an image that was not him, and one that most people living the "Thug life" actually want to get away from. Jeff Pearlman did a great job interviewing different people who knew Tupac at different stages of his life, providing so much great insight and detail.

Best Deep Dive

This was a book I didn’t know I needed to read. I had seen, read, and heard thousands of hours of his content over the decades. This book gave me a view and recollections that I never heard and allowed me to learn the many sides of Tupac. Rest in peace

Effing Brilliant

An in-depth look at the life of a brilliant artist and true poet of our time!

Perfectly titled

As a lover of Tupac's music, I grew to dislike his persona. You never knew what was real or fake in those times & the stories were awful. I found myself reserving judgement as I listened to this well researched book & understanding that humans are always more complex than any one story. I hope his soul is at rest.

Phenomenal

Tupac Shakur is one of my favorite artists of all time and thus I've read and watched many things about his life and times. However, Pearlman's book is next level. So many details, big and small, add up to an incredible retelling of Tupacs life. Even as a serious fan, many of the stories Perlman recounts about Pacs life, I did not know. Learning about Pacs childhood was especially eye opening and heartbreaking. You get the feeling throughout this book that all Pac really wanted in life was love and security. However, due to the extreame childhood negelct he experienced, he was often unable to tell the difference between real love and the attention he got from a bunch of hangers on and people who exploited this emptiness and his talent, especially near the end. Don't get me wrong though, Tupac was defently not a saint and that is clearly demonstrated again and again throughout this book. Unfortunately, even when given guidence and support by people who truly did care for him, Tupac could never seem to get out of his own way. He made insane decision after insane decision that ultimately lead to his early demise. A demise that you as the reader, and no doubt Tupac himself, could see coming from a mile away. Tupac was a light that burned too fast and too hot to burn for long. Thank you Jeff Pearlman for the years of research it must have taken to write this book. You did a phenomenal job. I suggest listening to this if you think you know everything or you know nothing about Tupac Shakur.